M54
NGC 6715 · Globular cluster in Sagittarius
- Magnitude
- 7.6
- Size
- 12′
- Effective surface brightness
- 21.4 mag/arcsec²
- Best months
- Jun, Jul, Aug
- Declination
- -30°
- Filter
- None (broadband target)
A globular that actually belongs to the Sagittarius Dwarf galaxy being eaten by the Milky Way. Low from the north.
Reachable from mid-northern latitudes (UK, northern US, central Europe) and from the south.
How long with each smart telescope
| Telescope | In frame | Bortle 3 (rural) | Bortle 5 (suburban) | Bortle 7 (urban edge) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZWO Seestar S5010 s subs | 28% | 13 min76 subs | 19 min114 subs | 47 min281 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs | 14% | 14 min84 subs | 21 min125 subs | 51 min306 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs | 17% | 14 min84 subs | 20 min122 subs | 48 min289 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs | 9% | 15 min89 subs | 22 min133 subs | 54 min323 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF 315 s subs | 12% | 17 min68 subs | 27 min108 subs | 1 h 10 min280 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF mini15 s subs | 17% | 12 min50 subs | 19 min76 subs | 47 min187 subs |
| DwarfLab Draco30 s subs | 16% | 15 min30 subs | 15 min31 subs | 39 min78 subs |
| DwarfLab DWARF II15 s subs | 11% | 52 min207 subs | 1 h 09 min278 subs | 2 h 27 min587 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs | 14% | 13 min76 subs | 19 min114 subs | 47 min281 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs | 12% | 30 min180 subs | 43 min260 subs | 1 h 42 min612 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera 310 s subs | 14% | 12 min72 subs | 18 min109 subs | 45 min269 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro 210 s subs | 12% | 28 min170 subs | 41 min247 subs | 1 h 37 min585 subs |
| Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs | 35% | 15 min229 subs | 19 min288 subs | 37 min549 subs |
| Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs | 36% | 1 h 19 min1,180 subs | 1 h 33 min1,397 subs | 2 h 36 min2,344 subs |
| Celestron Origin10 s subs | 23% | 5 min30 subs | 5 min30 subs | 13 min77 subs |
| Celestron Origin Mark II10 s subs | 27% | 5 min30 subs | 7 min40 subs | 18 min108 subs |
Imaging the globular cluster
Globular clusters are point sources packed tight, so they come quickly: the core resolves into stars within a handful of minutes on any smart scope. More time deepens the halo and pulls in the faint outer members. Use short subs so the core does not saturate into a white blob, and no filter.
Per-telescope pages
- How long to image the M54 with the ZWO Seestar S50
- How long to image the M54 with the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
- How long to image the M54 with the ZWO Seestar S30
- How long to image the M54 with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
- How long to image the M54 with the DwarfLab DWARF 3
- How long to image the M54 with the DwarfLab DWARF mini
- How long to image the M54 with the DwarfLab Draco
- How long to image the M54 with the DwarfLab DWARF II
- How long to image the M54 with the Vaonis Vespera II
- How long to image the M54 with the Vaonis Vespera Pro
- How long to image the M54 with the Vaonis Vespera 3
- How long to image the M54 with the Vaonis Vespera Pro 2
- How long to image the M54 with the Unistellar eQuinox 2
- How long to image the M54 with the Unistellar Odyssey
- How long to image the M54 with the Celestron Origin
- How long to image the M54 with the Celestron Origin Mark II